Catching a Break
by lifes2real
Summary: When their current case points to a case from his days at the FBI, Will finds himself thinking about his old partner.


Catching a Break

Spoilers : Folding Man

Basic Disclaimer : The toys you recognize are not mine. I just took them out of their box and played with them for a while. I promise to put them away when I'm done.

Summary : When their current case points to a case from his days at the FBI, Will finds himself thinking about his old partner.

Word Count : 1207

He had enough self awareness to know he was trying too hard, but knowing didn't stop him. As he walked into the library carrying the bag of bagels he knew he was falling into old habits. At the precinct it was doughnuts, at the FBI it was muffins. Will knew that the way he thought and acted was often off-putting and he ended up trying to smooth things over before issues arose. However this was the first time his gesture was met with blank stares.

Feeling defensive, Will allowed himself to ask the irrelevant question of how they got the footage. Magnus' non-answer doesn't help but something on the tape caught his attention and within moments Will was engrossed in the case. When Magnus mentioned the bagels, Will barely heard her, handing them over without a thought.

Later, as Will was pulling out his phone to call his old partner, he remembered this one little bakery near the FBI building that made the best muffins. The first day he was transferred to the area, partnered with Jake Pearson, he brought in a dozen, assorted. He took note of who took what, and he took note that Jake didn't touch one. For the next two weeks, Will brought in a cup of coffee and a muffin for Jake, everyday a different type. The coffee was accepted however the muffin was always politely declined. Questions regarding favorite type, or if he ate muffins at all were not helpful. Yes, Jake Pearson ate muffins and no he didn't have a favorite type. With that answer Will stopped bringing in muffins for his partner, though he always made sure that he had an extra coffee.

Shaking off thoughts of the past, Will dialed. Frowning, he listened to the generic voice mail prompt his ex-partner preferred on his personal phone, "Jake, hey, it's Will. I need a favor, Austin Federal, 2005. That unsolved murder/robbery. Can I get a copy of the case file? ASAP? And can we keep it quiet? Let me know. Thanks."

When Jake called back, Will wasn't near his phone and when he got the voice mail relief was the first thing that surfaced when listening to the message, followed quickly by nostalgia. Despite the issues that Will had with the FBI, or the FBI with Will, Jake was never one of them.

Later, while waiting for Jake, Will thought back to the muffins. Jake never said why he would not have any of the muffins that Will brought in but Will could guess. As they got closer, started to build their working relationship, Will realized that Jake had a very strong stubborn streak. Okay, he realized that the first day, but Jake refused to compromise what he thought was right, including being 'bribed' into accepting his partner. That didn't mean that he wouldn't break a rule, he just had to do it for a reason that he believed in and if he was going to accept his new partner, it would be on his own terms. There were other people that Will could have called for the case file but Jake had earned the right to be the first call, he had earned the right to say yes or no.

Before Will's thoughts could continue in that direction he heard his name and turning, saw his old partner. It took only a second to note that Jake looked more rested from the last time that Will saw him. Of course the last time that Jake and Will were in the same room Jake had just been questioned for hours regarding his partner, regarding Will.

When Jake mentioned rumors, Will was amused. He had already heard some of the rumors from the precinct. From having a mental breakdown to becoming agoraphobic to being abducted by aliens (his favorite was that the alien abduction caused his agoraphobia), the rumors ran the gambit, however Jake's rumor stating he was a consultant for some area 51 "freakazoid" group hit a little too close to home.

"Can't a man just run away and join the circus without being second-guessed?"

Jake understood Will enough that the humor in his reply meant that he wasn't going to answer what he had been doing, or why he wanted the case file, but he tried another tactic anyways. Will deflected the unasked question with light humor, like he did the first, knowing what Jake was doing and understanding that part of it was from concern.

Downplaying the importance of the file, Will hid his relief when Jake handed over the files. The 72 hours Jake gave him was gravy. Worst case scenario he could have the reports copied and samples taken in less than 24.

"You compromise that evidence in any way; I'll swear you held a gun to my head."

"That was my backup plan." Even as he said it, Will wondered if it had come to that could hold a gun on Jake for a file. Making his way back to Sanctuary, Will tried to put that thought out of his mind, focusing on the case.

The next three days were a hard lesson for Will. When Magnus pulled out the teaching a lion to talk speech, Will could see where she was coming from but he also remembered that it was her comment that he was here to see beyond the monster, to see beyond the abnormality, and see the person. Malcolm/Nomad's con job shook Will's belief in his ability to see and interpret details. Surprisingly it was Ashley blunt comments, and not Magnus' reassurance, that began to smooth out the jagged edges of his confidence.

A quick call to Jake had Will making his way back to the subway station. As he made his way through the evening traffic, his mind went back to muffins. It was the fourth case that Jake and Will were assigned as partners, another robbery/homicide. The local authority claimed that they had cleared the building. Jake was crouched, looking at something on the floor when Will noticed the fingerprint dust floating in a shaft of light. The movement of the dust made him look closer at the wall behind Jake and just as the panel opened and the gun raised, Will slammed the panel shut, trapping the arm and allowing Jake to move out of the line of fire. The next morning a muffin was waiting for Will.

It was only one of the times that Will had saved Jake from from something that only Will noticed. And Jake always had Will's back, most notably when those higher up found Will too unconventional. Walking into the subway station Will realized with a small smile that wasn't an issue anymore, if anything he was the conventional one.

After Will returned the case files, Jake made a comment about Will not being able to catch a break. Hearing Jake's concern, Will again remembered how Jake had always had his back. With feigned nonchalance and a breezy comment he turned away. Yet despite knowing that if he explained his new job that he wouldn't be believed, a part of Will wanted to assure Jake that he had caught a break and, as he was starting to figure out, so much more.


End file.
